Stonehengewouldn’t be leaving for another ten days. The freighter carried a lot, but loading her was as slow as the ship herself.There was another issue, however. “Travis is piloting her to Seinsep,” I said.
“Seinsep is far enough from here,” Yani mused. “If you could sneak on board theStonehenge, you might be able to slip away.”
I sucked my lip between my teeth. It might be my only chance to escape. I looked across to Yani. “Have you saved enough to come with me?”
She shrugged. “Define ‘enough money to rebuild your life’”. But it doesn’t matter. I think we are out of time.”
I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Because she was right.
5
Jaz
Four days into the cargo transfer to theStonehenge,I was a hurting unit.
When I wasn’t piloting theStardrifterback and forth, I spent most of that time in my quarters. Because I felt like absolute crap.
I ached all over. Did I have a fever? As I tossed and turned, wild visions danced through my head. In them, a certain green-eyed Drake was featured with disturbing frequency. My subconscious had definitely developed an obsession with him.
On our sixth docking with the freighter, Yani finally brought a thermometer from the tiny medbay to confirm it was all fever-induced.
“It has to be the damned injection,” I complained. “What is it doing to me?”
“I have a cousin who is a tech in the breeding project,” she said. “But he never talks about his work. All he’s told me is that only a small percentage react. I guess you’re one of the lucky few.”
“Swell,” I said, and rolled over.
Yani left Sookie with me, before she headed off to swap storieswith the on-board mechanics. The little hedgegopher purred like a cat as she curled up beside me.
When her owner returned to tell me it was time to head back down to the compound, I wasn’t quite as achy, but I was dizzy as hell. Yani’s orange eyes narrowed in concern as I staggered along the passageway to the bridge.
Fortunately, I’d been flying since I could reach the controls. It was so ingrained in me that even with bleary eyes and trembling fingers, I managed to fly theStardrifterout of theStonehenge’slanding bay.
I did, however, narrowly miss two workers standing near the antigrav shield controls. As they darted out of the way, I consoled myself that they could use the exercise, and a little ship exhaust wouldn’t kill them.
Not immediately, anyway.
It was a short trip down to the compound. As theStardrifterdropped beneath the clouds, the first thing I noticed was the landhopper off to one side of the paved surface we used for landing. It wasn’t the rather disreputable version that Travis leased from the Drakes. This one sparkled in the afternoon light.
The Drakes had come to visit. They did sometimes, when they had a special request for my brother.
But why did my heart suddenly accelerate?
I eased back on the throttle asStardrifterlowered to about six feet off the ground in front of the hangar. Then, as the ship hovered, I pushed the stick forward, just a little, and she slipped inside.
The place seemed unusually quiet—I didn’t even see any activity around the other docked starhopper.Sphinxwas aboard theStonehengewhile the cargo was transferred, but there should be men working on loading theAtlantis, and there wasn’t.
I lowered the ramp, and watched on the surveillance cameras as the workers that had gone toStonehengewith us disembarked to end their shift.
Before they could get to the hangar office toclock out, they were met by Travis. He redirected them to the exit, and raised his hand to his ear.
My comm unit buzzed, and I debated not answering it. But he would only come looking for me, and be all the more difficult as a result.
Yani appeared at the bridge entrance as I answered.
“Princess Jazmin here.”
